Over the past time, the Ha Tinh provincial Steering Committee 515 has seriously and promptly implemented the campaign, issuing 69 leadership, direction, and guidance documents and mobilizing relevant departments, agencies, organizations, localities, and forces. The province has searched for and collected 19 sets of fallen soldiers’ remains, including 10 in Ha Tinh and nine in Laos, reaching 14.62 percent of the assigned target.
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A scene of the working session |
The province has also excavated and digitized information on all 774 graves, collected biological samples from 297 graves, and handed over 311 samples to the Military Forensic Institute for DNA testing.
Concluding the inspection, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Gau commended Ha Tinh’s efforts and asked the provincial Steering Committee 515 to continue implementing the directives of the Party, State, Ministry of National Defense, and National Steering Committee 515. He called for search and collection measures suited to local conditions.
He also urged the province to mobilize local resources to search areas where information has been provided, gather additional information from historical witnesses and relevant organizations and individuals, and conduct verification before organizing search and collection activities. He emphasized shifting from “waiting for information” to “actively seeking information” at the grassroots level, organizing forces based on available information, and carrying out the search, collection, and identification of remains simultaneously.
Also on September 16, the Dak Lak provincial Steering Committee 515 held a departure ceremony for officers and soldiers of K51 Team under the Dak Lak provincial Military Command. The team set out to search for, collect, and repatriate the remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and advisors who died in Cambodia.
The team has pro-actively consolidated its organization and personnel, developed plans, and set targets and measures for the mission. It has also carried out political and ideological education and launched an emulation campaign among its officers and soldiers.
Speaking at the ceremony, Dao My, Vice Chairman of the Dak Lak provincial People’s Committee and Head of the provincial Steering Committee, described the search, collection, and repatriation of the remains of the fallen in Cambodia as a particularly important task with profound humanitarian significance. He said the mission reflects the tradition of “when drinking water, remember its source” and the gratitude of the Party, State, military, and people toward those who sacrificed their lives for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland and in fulfillment of international duties.
He urged the team to overcome difficulties and successfully fulfill its mission, setting a target of searching for and collecting 20 to 25 sets of fallen soldiers’ remains, or more if conditions permit, thereby contributing to the objectives of the 500-day campaign.
On the occasion, members of the Military Region 5 and Dak Lak provincial Steering Committees, together with officers and soldiers of the Dak Lak provincial Military Command and K51 Team, laid wreaths and offered incense in tribute to the fallen at the Dak Lak Provincial War Cemetery and the Hall-of-Fame of the Dak Lak provincial armed forces.
Translated by Chung Anh